


Empress of Destruction

by Longitudinalwave



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Victory
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Weirdness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:08:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25761124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Longitudinalwave/pseuds/Longitudinalwave
Summary: Being the Decepticon Empress of Destruction isn't easy...especially when your conjunx endura is more interested in killing his nemesis than he is in you or leading his team.
Relationships: Deathsaurus/Esmeral
Comments: 38
Kudos: 8





	1. Ladies in Waiting...Waiting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, thanks for checking out my story. 
> 
> So, I recently watched Victory for the first time, and I really liked it. I also loved the totally bonkers idea of Deathsaurus having a wife in the Victory manga. So I wrote this story, which is sort of a mesh of the Victory cartoon and Victory manga stories, but possibly even crazier. 
> 
> Hopefully it's entertaining.

Esmeral paced around her quarters in the Planet-Destroying Fortress, anxiously awaiting the return of her mate and hoping against hope that he would come home uninjured. It was at times like these when she wished that she had heeded the advice of her female creator, who had warned her against taking a warrior for a mate. Being the wife of a general was a great honor, but it also meant agonizing over the fact that every battle he left for might well be his last. Worse still, over the past few stellar cycles, her husband had become increasingly obsessed with defeating his archfoe, and it was starting to make him careless. She didn’t want him to come home to her as a corpse! 

“Is everything all right, Empress?” The question came from Lyzack, a fiery young female who served as Esmeral’s closest confidant. The twin sister of Lieutenant Commander Leozack, Lyzack shared all of her brother’s ferocity and ambition, but none of his disloyalty. 

“Yes,” Esmeral lied. It wouldn’t do to let the troops think that she feared for her conjunx endura. She had to be strong for him, as he was strong for all of them. 

“I am not Hellbat or my brother, Empress. If something is wrong, you can trust me not to spread it around,” Lyzack replied. Esmeral smiled weakly. 

“I know that, Lyzack, but I prefer to keep my feelings close to my spark. The walls of this fortress are not as thick as perhaps they should be,” she said. 

“I don’t know why the Emperor insists on keeping that worthless sneak Hellbat around. It isn’t as though there are no replacements for Liokaiser’s arm. It’s only his stupid insistence that the replacement be male that keeps Hellbat in his position. Why, if the Emperor would lift his ban on females being allowed in combat, I could fill Hellbat’s role easily- and  _ without  _ providing any of the hassle he does,” Lyzack replied. Esmeral shook her head. 

“The Emperor is only trying to protect us, Lyzack. I know you would make a fierce and competent warrior, but my conjunx endura is very old-fashioned in that regard. It is unlikely that he will ever lift his ban on female warriors,” she said. 

“Besides, who would  _ want _ to be a warrior? All that smoking and leaking and getting parts blown off- yuck!” This comment came from Hypnosisbat, Hellbat’s younger sister, who was still a youngling. Esmeral smiled. Unlike Hellbat, Hypnosisbat was sweet and charming, if a tad ditzy, and her sense of the dramatic never failed to bring a smile to Esmeral’s face.

“The little one is right, Lyzack. We are lucky that we have an Emperor who allows us to avoid the horrors of war. I wouldn’t want to be called away from raising my sparklings to fight in battles that I’m not suited for, and when you meet a nice young mech and settle down, neither will you,” Softhorn said. As Drillhorn’s conjunx endura, she was one of the oldest females on the Planet-Destroying Fortress, as well as the female creator of no less than four very active sparklings, one of whom, Hardhorn, was currently squirming in her arms. 

“I understand what you’re saying, Softhorn, but my creation has a point. It’s one thing to allow females to be civilians. In fact, I support that fully. It’s another thing entirely to force them into the role. Decepticons are built to fight; it’s in our very sparks. To deny Lyzack the chance to be a soldier for the great Decepticon cause is foolish, especially when mechs like Hellbat are allowed to fight. What’s more, if I had been allowed on the battlefield when I petitioned the Emperor, Lyking would still be alive, and my overly-ambitious son wouldn’t be his Lieutenant Commander right now,” Leoqueen said. She might have been old, even older than Softhorn, but the female creator of Leozack and Lyzack was just as fiery as her son and daughter, and the death of her conjunx endura at the hands of one of the Autobot Brainmasters hadn’t changed that. 

“You’ve been filling your daughter’s head with dangerous thoughts, Leoqueen. Do you want to see Lyzack killed before she can give you grandcreations?” Softhorn replied. 

“Of course not, but the same holds true for Leozack, and no one would ever use that as a reason that he shouldn’t fight,” Leoqueen said. 

“It’d take chains to keep that pup off the battlefield, Leoqueen,” Shejaga said. Unlike her serious, stoic conjunx endura, Jallguar, Shejaga had a strong sense of humor...and, unfortunately for Esmeral’s attempts to maintain peace amongst what the Emperor had dubbed her “court”, no respect for Leozack. 

“My son may be young, but he has the ferocity of all our family. As soon as he learns to reign in his foolish ambition, he’ll be as fine a Lieutenant Commander as Lyking, and I won’t have you say otherwise!” Leoqueen snarled. She was so loud, in fact, that Jagafang, Jallguar and Shejaga’s only creation, started wailing. 

“Now look what you’ve done! I was only joking!” Shejaga exclaimed. 

“No one jokes about my family!” 

“That’s enough, ladies. Let’s not fight. The Emperor and his forces have enough enemies without us fighting amongst ourselves,” Esmeral said gently. 

“I apologize, Empress,” Leoqueen said. 

“Sorry, Empress. I don’t want to cause you to worry,” Shejaga added. 

“You’re forgiven. Now, let’s talk about something more pleasant than war,” Esmeral said. Maybe then she would be able to take her mind off of her husband and the danger he was in. 

“In that case, I’d like to ask the creators here what to do when a sparkling starts crying in the dead of night. Jagafang’s been waking up sobbing every night for the past four Earth weeks, and I want to know how to make it stop,” Shejaga said. Softhorn and Leoqueen immediately began offering advice, and soon enough, Esmeral and her “court” were deeply involved in a conversation about sparklings and their quirks. It was an enjoyable conversation, but, at the same time, a very sad one, for her conjunx endura had not mentioned a sparkling in the last five stellar cycles, so consumed was he in his desire to kill Star Saber. It was all too possible that the Emperor would die without ever creating an heir. 

About thirty-five minutes later, the Emperor and the Chestforce returned to the Planet-Destroying Fortress. The Chestforce, except for Killbison and Guyhawk, who had no relatives on the Planet-Destroying Fortress, quickly made their way to Esmeral’s quarters. They had barely made it through the doors when Hypnosisbat shrieked in excitement, ran over to her older brother, and squeezed him tightly. 

“I missed you soooo much, big brother! How did things go? Did you win? Did Leozack get mad at you for plotting against him again? Did you get me a souvenir?” she asked. 

“Badly. No. Not this time. Yes,” Hellbat replied. With that, he produced a strange-looking sculpture of something Esmeral couldn’t identify. 

“I love it! Thanks, big brother!” Hypnosisbat exclaimed. Then she squeezed her brother even more tightly. 

“Ow! Let me go now! Ow! Ow! Ow!” Hellbat whined. Leozack just laughed. 

“Mother. Sister. How are you?” he asked. 

“Good. I’d be better if the Emperor would let me go with you, but that’s neither here nor there. Did you lose again?” Lyzack replied. 

“We did, but it was certainly through no fault of mine,” Leozack replied. Shejaga snorted, and Leoqueen glared at her. 

“Of course it wasn’t, darling. You’re as brilliant as your male creator ever was,” Leoqueen said to her son. Leozack preened a bit, obviously pleased that someone agreed with his high opinion of himself. Esmeral sighed. She’d have to talk privately to Leoqueen about not exacerbating the problem of her son’s already overinflated ego. 

“No major injuries, at least,” Jallguar said.

“Good. Jagafang, say hi to your male creator,” Shejaga replied. 

“Bleep,” the sparkling said. Shejaga laughed. 

“Close enough. It’s good to have you back, Jallguar” she said. Drillhorn, for his part, had embraced his conjunx endura. 

“Hello, Hardhorn,” Drillhorn said to his son. 

“Dada!” Hardhorn exclaimed. Softhorn smiled. 

“I’m glad you’re home, dearest,” she said. 

“Where are the other three?” Drillhorn asked. 

“Studying in our quarters. They’re every bit as diligent as their male creator,” Softhorn replied. Drillhorn nodded, clearly pleased to hear this. 

“Good. The Decepticon Army needs hard working soldiers,” he said. At this point, Emperor Deathsaurus himself entered the room. Everyone immediately snapped to attention, except for Esmeral herself, who ran to meet her conjunx endura. 

“Empress...my Empress….you take the sting out of returning home without a victory.” Esmeral melted. Her Emperor had quite a way with words. 

“Welcome home,” she replied. 

“I thank you for the welcome, my Empress. The rest of you are dismissed.” With that, her court and their loved ones left her quarters, leaving her alone with her conjunx endura. 

“How was it, darling?” Deathsaurus scowled. 

“That blasted Star Saber interfered again! When I see him again, I will crush him with my bare hands! With my bare hands!” he snarled. Esmeral sighed. She’d been afraid of that. As much as she loved Deathsaurus, she was starting to get a little fed up with his obsession with Star Saber. If she didn’t know better, she’d say Deathsaurus was more in love with the idea of killing him than he was with her! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leoqueen, Softhorn, Hardhorn, Shejaga, Jagafang, and Hypnosisbat are all OCs that I made up; hopefully they aren't too annoying. 
> 
> Lyzack and Esmeral come from the manga. Everyone else is from both the cartoon and the manga. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.


	2. Promises, Promises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deathsaurus and Esmeral have a heart-to-heart.

“I’m certain that your fortunes will be better the next time you meet Star Saber. Until then, let’s talk of more pleasant things,” Esmeral said quietly. She hoped that her conjunx would take the hint and would be able to leave the battlefield behind him, as he had when they were both young and he was just an ordinary soldier, albeit one with ambitions that reached to the heavens. He was Emperor now, and she understood that the responsibilities of his lofty position consumed most of his time, but lately it seemed that even when they were together, his mind was still on the battlefield, plotting ways to kill his hated enemy-and that made her feel quite alone. 

“Every time, Esmeral! Every time I get close to finishing off that wretch, something goes wrong! If it’s not the Dinoforce’s incompetence ruining a perfectly good scheme, it’s the distractions of his pathetic subordinates allowing him to escape! I promised myself that I would take revenge on him for locking my Fortress into the Dark Nebula, and by the Autobots’ cursed Matrix itself I shall!” Esmeral smiled weakly. 

“I have full faith in you, darling. You _will_ defeat him and free our home. There’s no need for you to obsess over our previous misfortunes,” she said. Please, let this put a stop to her conjunx’s endless ruminations over his failures! Deathsaurus paused and seemed to think over her words. Then his face softened, and a wave of relief washed over Esmeral. She’d gotten through to him! 

“You are right, my Empress. What’s done is done. Wasting energy on it is foolish. Now tell me, dear Spark, how have _you_ been?” 

“I miss you dearly when you are gone, but otherwise, I have been perfectly happy. My court has its occasional disputes, but they are all very good to me, and I am very glad to have their companionship,” Esmeral replied. Deathsaurus frowned. 

“Yet you seem unhappy,” he said. Esmeral sighed. She’d been hoping that he wouldn’t notice. As the Emperor of Destruction, he had enough responsibilities without having to worry about her concerns. As a Decepticon Empress, she should be able to handle her fears and problems herself. However, he had noticed that she was upset, so she might as well tell him why. It was better than making him wonder what might be wrong. 

“I….I miss your company when you’re in the field, my love, and I’m starting to worry that one day you won’t come home to me. I’m afraid that your drive to defeat Star Saber is causing you to take unnecessary risks, and I worry that you’ve started to take the battlefield back with you when you talk to me. But it’s nothing, really. I can handle my worry. If I couldn’t, I wouldn’t be fit to be your Empress,” she said. 

“ _Nothing_ could make you unfit to be my Empress. I would rip out my own spark before I stripped you of your title.” Esmeral smiled. It was so good to have her conjunx, rather than the warlord, speaking to her. 

“In that case, I will request something silly of you,” she said. 

“You have never done anything “silly”, dear spark. Ask.” 

“My darling, I ask that you remember when to quit. The Empire needs you…. _I_ need you. Don’t risk everything we’ve worked to build on trying to kill one mech,” Esmeral said. Deathsaurus laughed. 

“Dear spark, is _that_ what you’re worried about? I won’t be killed by the likes of Star Saber. You have nothing to fear.” 

“I know it’s foolish, but please, my love. Promise me that you won’t sacrifice yourself to destroy him.” _Physically or mentally_ , she thought. 

“Very well, my Empress. I promise. Just remember-the sooner I destroy that loathsome Star Saber, the sooner I will be able to come home for good.” Her conjunx’s confidence in his own strength was, as always, rock solid. Esmeral wished she had his confidence. She was his Empress; she wanted to support him….and yet she worried. 

“Thank you for your promise, darling. It will help me forget my foolish worries,” she said. If she said it enough, it would become true. 

“You’re quite welcome, dear spark.” With that, the two of them launched into a conversation about what they would do once the war was over, a conversation that lasted well into the night. 

Esmeral woke the next morning to find her conjunx already gone, a disappointing but not unexpected turn of events. She and the other females on the Planet-Destroying Fortress had long grown used to their conjunxes and brothers being gone on missions by the time they woke up. After consuming her morning ration of energon and cleaning herself up in her washrack, she went to her living quarters and waited for her “court” to convene. As usual, Lyzack was the first to arrive. 

“Empress,” she said, sinking to one knee. 

“Good morning, Lyzack,” Esmeral replied. 

“Our Fortress is low on energy, as always, but is otherwise in good repair,” Lyzack reported. Lyzack took great pride in ensuring that the Planet-Destroying Fortress was in good repair, as it brought her as close to the war effort as any female could get in Deathsaurus' empire

“I’m glad to hear that, Lyzack. You do good work, and the Emperor and I couldn’t ask for a better Information Technology Specialist,” she said. 

“Thank you, Empress. I just wish the Emperor would get over his stupid opposition to females being in the army and let me be of more help to the cause,” Lyzack replied. Esmeral smiled. Of all her “court”, only Lyzack would be bold enough to describe one of the Emperor’s ideas as stupid. Even Leoqueen, as fiery as she was, had more fear of the Emperor. 

“Part of me agrees with your sentiment, Lyzack, but I would suggest that you not air that particular opinion around the Emperor. He isn’t particularly fond of being questioned.” 

“Don’t worry, Empress. Unlike my brother, I’m not stupid enough to question the Emperor to his face,” Lyzack replied. 

“I figured as much. You can stop kneeling now, Lyzack.” Lyzack complied, rising to her feet. A few seconds later, Hypnosisbat burst into the room. 

“Morning, Empress! Isn’t it a wonderful day?” 

“Kneel, Hypnosisbat! You’re in the presence of the Empress of Destruction!” Lyzack exclaimed. Esmeral shook her head. Lyzack’s loyalty was admirable, but sometimes her desire for formality became a tad excessive. 

“Lyzack, she’s only a youngling. Let her be. Good morning, Hypnosisbat.” 

“Thanks, Empress! Gosh, you’re so cool. I hope I can be just like you when I get my adult frame,” Hypnosisbat replied. Esmeral personally hoped that that wouldn’t be the case. Her life was fraught with worry and responsibility, and she wouldn’t wish that on anyone. 

“I appreciate the compliment, young one...though I think it would be just as good if you grow up to be just like Hypnosisbat,” Esmeral said. 

“Really?” 

“Yes, really. You’re quite a charming young female.” 

“Cute kid, huh, Empress?” Shejaga said as she entered the room and knelt in front of Esmeral. Jagafang was recharging in her arms. 

“Very much so, Shejaga. How did the little one recharge last night?” 

“Much better than usual. Softhorn’s advice worked wonders-guess that’s experience for you,” Shejaga replied. Esmeral nodded. 

“I think so, yes. Softhorn is a valuable resource.” Shejaga got back to her feet, just in time for Softhorn and Leoqueen to enter the room together. 

“Empress Esmeral!” Both of the older females knelt. 

“Good morning, Leoqueen. Good morning, Softhorn.” With this, the two older females returned to their feet. 

“Hey, thanks for the advice, Softhorn. Jagafang-and I-recharged better last night than we have in ages,” Shejaga said. 

“You’re quite welcome. I’m always happy to give advice to a young female creator-and when you settle down, Lyzack, that’ll apply to you, too,” Softhorn said. Esmeral sighed. Not this again. Much like her conjunx endura, Softhorn was incredibly stubborn. It often seemed as though neither she nor Drillhorn knew when to drop a subject. 

“What makes you think I want to “settle down”? Not every female wants to have sparklings!” Lyzack exclaimed. 

“Spoken by a female who’s never had a sparkling,” Softhorn replied. 

“Leozack’s never had a sparkling, either, and he’s no more interested in them than I am. Would you say that to him?” Lyzack asked. 

“Leozack’s not female, either, dear,” Softhorn replied. 

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Lyzack demanded. 

“My daughter is right, Softhorn. Her gender has nothing to do with whether or not she’s telling the truth about wanting sparklings,” Leoqueen added. Esmeral tried to interject, but before she could, Softhorn responded.

“Leoqueen, I’ve told you a thousand times. Encouraging your daughter’s ridiculous fantasies is only going to make things more difficult for her. She is not a warrior, and she will never be one,” she said. Lyzack scowled.

“Yes, I wi- Emperor Deathsaurus!” 

Esmeral gasped. Her conjunx endura was just inside the doors to her quarters, leaking fluids from a large wound in his side. His left leg was twisted so badly at the knee that it was only hanging on by a few wires, and, most horrifically, both of his wings had been torn off. He was barely standing, leaning heavily on Drillhorn and Killbison for support. 

“Empress Esmeral, we’ve got to get him to the medical bay now!” Drillhorn exclaimed. Esmeral ran to her conjunx’s side. Since she was considerably closer to Deathsaurus’ size than anyone else on the Fortress, she was able to keep Deathsaurus standing on her own, freeing up Killbision and Drilhorn to move ahead of her and prepare the medbay. 

“What _happened_?” she asked Leozack as she helped her husband limp to the medbay. 

“We got into a skirmish with the Autobot Brainmasters while trying to steal energy from one of Jupiter’s moons. When Star Saber arrived to help them, the Emperor engaged him, and he was so focused on his attempt to put an end to the blasted Autobot that he got dangerously close to a pool of highly concentrated energy at the bottom of a cliff. A wild shot from someone-we aren’t sure who-ignited it. We tried to warn the Emperor of the impending explosion, but he stubbornly ignored us...and was caught in a massive explosion and then buried by a rockslide. Star Saber was injured too, but not nearly as badly...mainly because he was smart enough to listen to his Lieutenant Commander’s warning,” Leozack replied. Esmeral nodded and got her conjunx into the repair bay and onto the operating table. Suddenly, the Emperor stirred.

“Esmeral…” She frowned. 

“You promised me you’d be careful!” she exclaimed. How could he do this to her? Did he want to break her spark? What would she do if he died? 

“Not my fault...accursed Star Saber…” With that, he fell offline, and Esmeral turned to Drillhorn, who was the group’s resident medic (primarily by virtue of being one of the few individuals in Deathsaurus’ army who had any medical training). 

“How badly is he damaged?” She would not cry. She would _not_ cry. She had to be strong for the Empire.

“Not sure yet. I think he’ll live-you don’t rise through the ranks as fast as he did by being weak-but I’m not sure what the damage will be. There’s a good possibility that this’ll cripple him for a long time...maybe even for good,” Drillhorn replied. 

“Do everything you can for him, Drillhorn,” Esmeral said. With that, she left the medbay, trying desperately not to break down. Her conjunx endura had broken his promise to be careful, and now he was horribly injured. What had that gigantic fool been _thinking_? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading.


	3. Wounded Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's nothing quite like watching a lover's spat between Cybertronians...especially ones as large as these two. 
> 
> Sorry for the long wait. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

About six hours after her conjunx endura entered the medbay, Esmeral was again approached by Drillhorn. She leaned towards him, fearing the worst. 

“How is he?” she asked. Drillhorn shook his head. 

“Alive. But that’s about all I can say for him, Empress,” he said. He was trying to sound as gruff and stoic as he usually did, but Esmeral knew him well enough to hear the catch in his voice. Drillhorn was the closest thing to a friend Deathsaurus had, and whatever had happened to him had clearly shaken his loyal strategist. 

“Is he awake?” 

“Not yet, Empress. But knowing him, I’m sure he’ll be awake soon, and I don’t want to be there when he finds out what’s happened to him,” Drillhorn replied. 

“What do you mean?” Esmeral asked. She had a horrible feeling that she knew exactly what Drillhorn meant, but she didn’t want to admit it. 

“Empress….it's what I was afraid of. He’s crippled. If we had better supplies, I might be able to repair him more fully, but as it is, the Emperor won’t even be able to walk without help, let alone fight,” Drillhorn replied, sounding weary. Esmeral wanted to scream and punch a wall in frustration, but she couldn’t. Such behavior would be unseemly for the Decepticon Empress. 

“I...see. Thank you for telling me, Drillhorn,” she said weakly. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do more for him, Empress,” Drillhorn replied. 

“It’s not your fault, Drillhorn. You did everything that you could,” Esmeral said. _It was my idiot conjunx’s fault,_ she thought, but it wouldn’t do to say that aloud. 

“Is there anything else you need to know, Empress?” Drillhorn asked. 

“Yes. Can I go see him?” Drillhorn nodded. 

“It’s probably best that he learns about his condition from you, Empress.” With that, he led Esmeral to the medbay, bowed, and then left her. Esmeral steeled herself for the confrontation that was about to occur, and then stepped inside the medical bay. 

“Deathsaurus?” she asked. 

“Dear...Spark?” He was awake.

“Don’t call me that. If I was _really_ your dear spark, you would have kept your promise to me!” she exclaimed, unable to control her anger, fear, and sadness any longer. 

“I’m sorry, Esmeral, but I almost had him! I would’ve killed that accursed Star Saber had someone’s shot not gone wild, and then the war would have been over!”

“I don’t want to hear it! You promised me that you wouldn’t let your hatred of Star Saber lead you into a dangerous situation, and not even a day later, you got so absorbed in trying to kill him that you ignored your troops and almost got yourself killed, you gigantic fool!” 

“Esmeral, I didn’t become the Emperor of Destruction because I was weak. Now that I’ve been repaired, I will be fine.” 

“ _Fine_? You have no idea how injured you are, do you?” 

“You speak as though what happened to me could have severely injured me.” Esmeral’s conjunx slowly sat up, slid off the medical table, and tried to stand...only for his left knee to give way. Only her own quick action stopped him from collapsing to the ground. 

“I thought Drillhorn repaired me!” Deathsaurus bellowed furiously. Esmeral quickly jumped to Drillhorn’s defense. 

“He did-and he worked very hard, I might add-but there are some wounds that even he can’t fully repair-especially with the limited supply of materials on this Fortress. You injured yourself so badly that you crippled yourself. Drillhorn says you won’t even be able to walk without help now,” Esmeral replied. Shock and fear raced across Deathsaurus’ faceplates in quick succession, and were then rapidly replaced by an emotion her fool of a conjunx felt much more familiar with-rage. 

“ **_WHAT_ ** ?” His voice was so loud that Esmeral was surprised it didn’t shake the Fortress. 

“You heard me! Because of your stupid obsession with Star Saber, you might not ever be able to walk again-let alone fight-and now I’m going to have to be your nurse on top of all my other responsibilities because you broke your promise to me!” Esmeral exclaimed. She wasn’t quite as loud as her conjunx, but she made up for it in sheer anger and sadness. In response, Deathsaurus sat down on the medical table, clearly despondent. 

“I can’t be crippled! How am I supposed to destroy that blasted Star Saber if I have to be helped to walk?” That was exactly the wrong thing for him to say. 

“ _Star Saber_? You’re crippled, I’ll have to spend who knows how much time taking care of you instead of ruling our Fortress, and you can no longer properly lead your troops...and the only thing you care about is the fact that you can’t keep trying to kill one stupid Autobot?” Esmeral cried. Here her conjunx was, crippled because of his obsession with Star Saber, and the only thing he seemed to care about was that he could no longer pursue that obsession. Couldn’t he see what it was doing to him, to her, and to the army that relied on them? 

A silence fell over the medbay, and then Deathsaurus buried his face in his clawed hands. 

“Oh, my Esmeral….what have I done?” he murmured. The Emperor had realized that he had been dealt something that was quite possibly a death blow, and the simpler mech whom she had chosen to be her conjunx endura had returned. 

“You sacrificed your health, my trust, and quite possibly your position to your obsession,” Esmeral replied. Part of her hated how harsh she sounded, but what she said was nothing but the truth. If Leozack got wind of this-and he would-it was very possible that he would challenge Deathsaurus for the position of Emperor, and since her conjunx needed help to stand, he would almost certainly lose the fight. Deathsaurus sighed wearily. 

“You...are not wrong, my dear spark, and I ask you to forgive me. I didn’t think-” 

“You _never_ think anymore. And that’s the problem. Your hatred for Star Saber consumed your common sense, and now I have to pick up the pieces!” Esmeral exclaimed. She didn’t want to be cruel to her conjunx, but she was so angry with him! He’d jeopardized their entire life by breaking his promise to her! 

“If you want to leave me, dear spark, you can. As a Decepticon, you deserve a strong conjunx endura, and I no longer qualify,” he replied quietly. Esmeral shook her head. As angry as she was with Deathsaurus, and as worried as she was about their future, she couldn’t abandon him. Her female creator had been right-she was crazy. Fool that she was, she still loved him, and she would stay with him, even if his permanent injuries meant that he would be expelled from the Decepticon ranks altogether. If being Deathsaurus’ conjunx endura meant that she went from being an Empress to being the conjunx of a crippled neutral, then so be it. She loved him too much to leave him now. 

“No. I probably should leave you, but I can’t. I love you, you gigantic fool,” she said brokenly. With that, she helped her conjunx to his feet and started leading him to his throne room...only for them to run into Leozack as soon as they exited the med bay. A huge smirk was plastered on his faceplates. 

“Deathsaurus, I, the fearsome Leozack, challenge you to honorable combat for the position of Emperor!” He exclaimed. And, for the first time in her long life, Esmeral wished that she had more combat experience…for if she had, she could have taken her wounded conjunx’s place in the duel.

Much to her surprise, rather than insisting on fighting despite his wounded state, Deathsaurus actually stepped backwards and gave a slight bow to Leozack. Esmeral stared at him in shock. 

“What are you doing?” Deathsaurus frowned.

“I may be a fool, but I’m not enough of a fool to risk death by fighting a healthy Leozack in this state,” he whispered to her. 

“W...what are you doing?” Leozack asked, obviously shocked. 

“I trust the new Emperor of Destruction will forgive a crippled mech for not being able to properly kneel before him?” Deathsaurus replied. Had the situation not been so tense, Esmeral would probably have giggled at Leozack’s stunned expression. 

“What new Emperor? We...we haven’t fought yet,” Leozack said after a few seconds of confused silence. 

“And we aren’t going to, _Emperor_. I may be a fool where Star Saber is concerned, but I have more than enough experience to know that agreeing to fight you in my current condition would be a death wish. Therefore, as much as I am loath to relinquish my position to an untrustworthy, arrogant pup like you, I have no other choice if I wish to remain amongst the functioning. Given my dubious bargaining posture, I will make only two requests,” Deathsaurus replied, cold fury obvious in his tone. A huge smile spread across Leozack’s face. 

“What are they, old mech?” Leozack asked. Deathsaurus scowled, and only Esmeral’s knowledge of her conjunx’s condition kept her from grabbing the arrogant pup by the throat.

“First, I ask that you spare my life. A crippled, wingless mech is unlikely to be a threat to your position, Emperor. Second, I ask that you allow my conjunx endura to stay in the Fortress. She has many friends here from whom I do not wish to separate her.” 

“Done. I’m afraid that you will not be able to stay here, however. A male Decepticon who cannot fight is of no use to the cause,” Leozack-Emperor Leozack now, Esmeral supposed-said smugly. Deathsaurus glared at him, but nodded stiffly. If he wanted to stay alive, he had to accept the terms-at least for now. 

“Then I’m leaving, too,” Esmeral said. 

“No, dear spark. My foolishness got us into this mess. I won’t let you be punished for it.” 

“It’s not a punishment. I love you as much as I hate what you’ve done to us, and I couldn’t bear being separated from you forever.” 

“If you come with me, you’ll be reduced to the status of a _neutral_.” 

“And if I don’t come with you, the first Decepticon scavenger to come across you will kill you.” Deathsaurus winced at the reminder of his weakness, but capitulated.

“Very well, dear Spark. If you insist.” Leozack nodded.

“In that case, I’ll be dropping both of you off on the nearest planetary body. It’s too bad that you’re sacrificing yourself for him, though, Esmeral. This Fortress won’t be the same without you. Are you sure you want to give up your place with us to become a neutral?” Esmeral glared at him. As though the entire situation wasn’t his fault! 

“Quite sure. Tell Lyzack that I will miss her,” she replied. 

“I will. And if you ever change your mind, just call me.” 

Ten minutes later, Esmeral and Deathsaurus had been deposited on the nearest planet, G269-B. Esmeral shook her head. At this point, she wasn’t sure who was the bigger fool-Deathsaurus for getting himself injured or her for sticking by him. Regardless, they were completely on their own. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading. Hopefully, the next update will come sooner than this one.


End file.
